Rap music took quite the PR hit this past week after the once dominant music genre found itself trending for all the wrong reasons. For the first time in over three decades, not a single rap song ranked in the top 40 songs of the Billboard Hot 100, breaking an unbelievable 35-year streak.
One would have to go all the way back to February 1990 when Biz Markie’s classic “Just a Friend” sat outside the top 40 before breaking through to the #29 chart position just a week later. That would begin a run of at least one rap song in the top 40 for the next 35 years, eight months and three weeks. Things are turning around this week though with Megan Thee Stallion’s Lover Girl debuting at #38.
To be fair, Billboard did institute new chart rules, which removed older “recurrent” songs from the Hot 100 in order for newer songs to make the cut. But whereas other music genres and singles seized the opportunity, rap did not. That signified a “mic drop” of a realization to radio programmers, the music industry and fans that rap is in a rough spot and it may take some time to recover.
Rap’s Fall
Rap and hip hop’s decline has been going on for years.
In their most recent press release, Billboard reported that “the lack of rap songs in the Hot 100’s top 40 is the latest sign of a recent dip in rap’s commercial dominance,” while also citing that the genres’ market share fell from 30% in 2020 to 24% in 2025.
Across social media, many fans said they weren’t shocked at rap’s fall off the top 40 charts.
“Bro, have you seen this year’s XXL (Magazine)? Genre is dead,” tweeted one fan.
“Rap really needs that next wave to hit soon,” tweeted another.
Radio programmers however, find themselves in a bit more of a precarious situation however – there simply aren’t many popular rappers out there, especially younger ones.
During rap’s height throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the genre had massive stars such as Jay Z, Eminem, Nas, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne – even Nelly, that were able to bring the genre to a mainstream level with catchy hooks and infectious beats.
Now? Not so much.
“I will say, I’m concerned. 2025, 2016, 2017, 2018, those years felt magical. My concern is that the magic is gone,” Spotify’s creative director and Head of Urban Carl Cherry accurately predicted.
Although Kendrick Lamar was able to perform at last year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show and is no doubt a star, his recent break in music has undoubtedly left a void to be filled that unfortunately for the rap industry, remains.
Other Genres Incorporating Rap For Their Own Benefit
There’s also the argument that rap music isn’t gone per se, but has just adapted thanks to other music genres utilizing it better than rappers did for themselves.
In recent years, country music has seen the rise of “country rap,” thanks to artists like Hardy, Jelly Roll and Kane Brown.
With the rock resurgence currently taking place, we’ve also seen the return of rap rock that I predict will only continue to grow in the coming months and years.
Limp Bizkit is back, after all.
“Rap music is still all over the top 40; it’s just not being made by rappers,” Stereogum’s Tom Breihan recently wrote.
Bad Bunny is currently one of the largest artists in the entire world (as he gears up for his own Super Bowl Halftime Show performance) and absolutely incorporates rap elements into his music.
What Rap Needs to Do
So, despite the headline and the hysteria, maybe the “essence” of rap music isn’t gone, but rather, it’s evolved with other genres taking the lead on it as the rap industry and rap music recalibrates.
With rap music’s longstanding cultural significance and importance, especially within cities, the genre will always be around.
However, you can be sure that radio programmers and the industry will be paying close attention to the coming months to see if rap can get out of its rut and start making hits again, instead of its’ current, often mocked “mumbling rap,” criticism.
For rap to return to relevance, the genre needs new strategies, fresh talent to pivot and perhaps a return of the more melodic and appealing side of the genre, as well as a determined effort to breakthrough and penetrate mainstream audiences with mass appeal.
That’s easier said than done, of course.
Otherwise, we will not see rap music significantly represented in the Billboard Top 40 for years to come.
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